Tag Archives: Coors Field

Coors Field is widely considered one of the nicest stadiums in Major League Baseball. The facilities are fan friendly, and the atmosphere at Coors Field is always fun for fans to enjoy a game. With a name referencing one of the largest breweries in the country, it is a bit ironic that Coors Field would be #1on a list of Top 10 Baseball Stadiums for craft beer. Welcome to Colorado, home to one of the nation’s largest breweries, as well as a mecca of smaller craft breweries.

Visitors of Coors Field can enjoy beers from New Belgium, Breckenridge Brewery, Oskar Blues, and Odell Brewing. Of course, one of the coolest parts of Coors Field’s beer offerings is that the Sandlot Brewery is located on site, and provides fresh Blue Moon from the tap. It is a sign of how the beer landscape is changing when a fan can visit Coors Field and get a beer from a craft brewery. Looking back 10-15 years ago fans were not able to order anything other than Coors or Coors Light at a Rockies game. While there are many fans that will always stick to Coors, there are a growing number of fans that want to enjoy a craft beer, and Coors Field offers a great opportunity to do so.

Coors Field Ranked #1 on FoxNews.com’s list of Top 10 Baseball Stadiums for Craft Beer. FoxNews.com states “Several ballparks are featuring better and better beer — you just have to know where to find it. With that in mind, we explored Major League Baseball stadiums across the country to find the 10 best spots for beer.” Here are the rankings according to FoxNews.com:

Prost Brewing Company is located in the Lower Highland Neighborhood (LoHi) in Denver, CO. The brewery is just west of I-25 on 20th Street, directly across the highway from Coors Field. Prost Brewing is near a handful of other breweries, but the types of beers they brew make them stand out from other brewers in the area. Prost specializes in German-style biers. Not only do they specialize in German-style biers, they brew in German equipment that was brought over from a historic German brewery.

Prost Brewing Company opened its doors on August 23rd, 2012. The name Prost, is a German word that translates to ‘To your health’, or ‘cheers’. Prost’s name, equipment, and ingredients all add up to a distinct all-German style that is quite unique in the growing Colorado craft beer scene. Prost adheres to what is called the ‘German Purity Laws’, which are a set of laws that German biers should be brewed with. These laws started in 1516, and were designed to ensure bier contained only high-quality ingredients. The laws protected the public from poor standards, and potentially lethal, beverages. Reinheitsgebot, as the laws are called in German, also brought about a standardization in production well ahead of its time. Foreign brewers who wanted to enter the local market also had to stick to the law and so its influence began to spread far and wide. The laws have changed over time, but they still keep brewers focused on creating quality biers with quality ingredients.

Prost Brewing’s Kopper Kettles

Prost Brewing has a plan and sticks to that plan. They want to provide the best German-style biers that can be found locally. They don’t care to brew big beers, or beer that does not fit in the German-style. When you do something well, why not stick to it? That is exactly what Prost Brewing has done, and they have quickly made a big name for themselves with Colorado beer drinkers. Bill Eye is the Head Brewer at Prost, and is a veteran Colorado brewer, with 16 years of professional brewing experience. Prior to joining Prost, Bill was the Founding Brewer at Dry Dock Brewing Company. Bill studied brewing in Germany, and developed a love of German-style biers. Bill’s experience and education played a major part in forming the way Prost brews, and the way the run their taproom.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with David Boone (he goes by Boone), VP of Sales & Events for Prost Brewing. Boone was happy to share the story of Prost, and of course the reason why they have grown so fast. It’s the fresh, great-tasting beers they serve from the tap. Boone has 13+ years experience in the brewing industry, and as he describes it, he “has the best job in the world!” Boone is yet another story I’ve heard of someone that didn’t set out to be in the brewing industry, but once they experienced it, they couldn’t get enough. Boone was actually a high school science teacher for five years prior to returning to the craft beer industry. The last brewery Boone was involved with prior to joining Prost was a four year stint with Bristol Brewing Company in Colorado Springs, serving as the State Sales Manager. To say Boone is passionate about Prost’s German-style biers is a massive understatement. He is truly a great ambassador for the brand, and will go out of his way to share Prost’s story with you. I met Boone at the Breckenridge Beer Festival and he was happy to take a few minutes to talk about the brewery.

The original control panel, still used today!

The story of the equipment Prost Brewing Company uses is really cool. Prost brought over brewing equipment from a city in Germany called Grafenau. The equipment was originally built in 1963 by Ziemann GmbH, and installed at the Bucher Brau, where it was used until 1984. In 1984, it was overhauled and sold to Brauerei Hummer of Breitengubach, Germany, a village in the Franconian region of Bavaria. Brauerei Hummer started brewing beer in the Franconian village of Breitengubach in 1642. The brewery served the town for over 350 years until the spring of 2011. At that point, the brewing equipment was purchased by Prost Brewing Company, and brought over to brew German-style biers for the people of Colorado. This sounds easier than it actually was, the process was a major undertaking. Bill Eye had to disassemble the equipment to package it for transport. He then had to reassemble it in order to be able to use it. It’s a good thing Bill studied brewing in Germany because in order to use the equipment, you have to be able to read German.

Prost brought in German equipment for brewing, then added massive fermenters and lager vessels to complete their brewery. The lager vessels are actually converted dairy tanks, and hold 4,000 gallons each! You really have to see them in person to understand how large they really are. Once Prost brews their biers, they will sit for between 4-8 weeks depending on the style. Ales go to the lager vessels for 24 days to complete the aging process. Prost is proud to brew with German equipment, and all German hops and malts.

4,000 gallon lager vessels

Prost Brewing Company offers great biers, and do so in a way most brewers would never try. Prost distributes their biers only in 64 oz. growlers, and kegs. There are no 6-packs of bottles, cans or 22 oz. bombers. You can visit the Prost taproom and get a fresh pour from the tap, or you can visit many taprooms, restaurants and bars around the state. You can also buy a growler from a quickly growing number of stores around the state. You will not miss the site of a Prost growler in the beer case at a retailer. It is uncommon in most stores to see growlers, and this is a way Prost stands out from other brewers. The growlers include labels that incorporate the colors of the German flags from the regions of Germany the bier styles come from. Another unique aspect to Prost’s growlers, is they offer a recycling program. If you bring back a growler to the retailer, or directly to Prost, you will get $1 off your next purchase. Prost is able to distribute growlers because they use a method of packaging where they heat flash shrink-wrap the top, which creates a seal that can last 60-120 days, depending on the style of bier. Typically beer in growlers will lose freshness in less than a week.

Prost Brewing has a nice, clean taproom, and offers a fun family friendly environment. Something of note is that Prost has a program for Rockies fans. If a fan brings in a ticket stub for that day’s game, they can park for free, and get a 1/2 price beer before and after the game. Coors Field is a short walk, so if you plan to enjoy a Rockies game, be sure to head over to Prost first. Prost also offers live music on Thursdays for those that enjoy fresh beer and music. There is no kitchen at the taproom, but they do offer Baker Street soft pretzels. Tony P’s, a local Italian restaurant delivers exclusively to Prost. Patrons at Prost are also encouraged to bring in their own food to pair with a fresh German style bier.

I want to thank David Boone, Bill Eye, and all of the other partners for having me at Prost Brewing, and for the tour of the brewery. They truly are a unique brewery, and brew some outstanding biers! I really enjoyed the Prost Pilsner, which honestly might be the smoothest beer I’ve ever tried. It is light, and refreshing, especially on a hot day. My favorite bier of the day was the Maibock, which is a light, crisp and clean Spring bier. The Maibock is a seasonal brew, so it is not always on tap at Prost. I would highly recommend heading down to try this awesome bier!

Beer List: There is an Altbier in the works, as well as a Kolsch seasonal, and the Maibock is currently available for a limited time. The Altbier may become another staple in addition to the three staple biers Prost currently has.

Altfränkisches Dunkel Bier – Brewed with a 350 year old recipe!This is a dark amber lager made in the world famous brewing area around Bamberg, Germany. They are characterized by their smooth malty flavor. The Franconian version differs from the dark lagers of Bavaria by being slightly stronger and drier. Dunkels have a distinctive malty flavor that comes from a special brewing technique called decoction mashing. We are reviving the Altfränkisches Dunkel Bier from the Hümmer Brauerei in Breitengüßbach, the brewery whose brewhouse now resides in Denver, Colorado at Prost Brewing.

Prost Pils – This is a northern German staple and our flagship beer. This is a crisp, pale and dry interpretation of the style. Well hopped with noble German varieties and a special strain of yeast from a German monastery. Prost Pils is pale gold in color and capped with a thick, brilliantly white, dense collar of foam. With the first sip spicy hop flavors come to the forefront. As the hop begins to fade, the wonderfully soft imported pilsner malt is revealed. The finish, with its herbal, pleasantly lingering hop note balanced by a rich malt counterpoint, demands another taste.

Weißbier – With flavors of banana and clove this Bavarian specialty is well known within our market. Our head brewer has won a number of medals with Hefeweizen including: Silver in 2009 and 2010 and Gold in 2011 at the GABF in the Southern German Hefeweizen category. As well he won the best of show with Hefeweizen at the Colorado state fair in 2011.

Marzen – Oktoberfest (Seasonal) – Marzen is a lager, orange/reddish in color, the style is characterized by a medium to full body, malty flavor and clean dry finish. Typically served in a Maß. 5.6 ABV (alcohol by volume) 22 IBU (international bittering units).

Seasonals Include: Marzen (Oktoberfest Lager), Kolsch, Export Lager, DoppelBock, Eisbock, Bock, Maibock, and any other German bier Bill can pull out of his sleeve!

Cedar Creek Pub – Aurora, CO: Cedar Creek Pub, located at 2100 North Ursula Street in Aurora Colorado is a new pub and grill which features food and beverages from all over the State of Colorado. Cedar Creek Pub embraces and supports “Colorado Proud” and is proud to offer dozens of local company’s to our new menu. 2100 North Ursula Street Aurora, CO 80045 | 303.537.4210

Cheeky Monk Belgiun Beer Cafe – Denver, CO: The Cheeky Monk stems from the love and appreciation of great beer and our desire to share it with others. Since many of the finest beers in the world tend to be brewed in Belgium, we thought “why not bring these great beers to Denver?” Not an easy task but one that has allowed us to bring people together to share their knowledge and passion for fine beers. 534 E Colfax Ave Denver, CO 80203 | 303.861.0347

Cherry Cricket – Denver, CO: The term “legendary” is overused these days. But the Cherry Cricket lives up to the lofty classification and the revered reputation it holds as a bastion of classic neighborhood-bar culture. 2641 E 2nd Ave Denver, CO 80206 | 303.322.7666

Choppers Sports Grill – Denver, CO: About the only thing we don’t do is brew our own beer. Luckily, we have 100 Colorado neighbors that do, offering one of the best selections of Colorado craft beers you’ll find anywhere. From car garage to Colorado crafts, this building has been bringing you the best for over fifty years! 80 S Madison St Denver, CO 80209 | 303.399.4448

Colorado Beer Exchange – Denver, CO: As philanthropists, we want to go beyond simple distribution, and at the Colorado Beer Exchange, we want frequent beer showcases to be an opportunity both to discover great beer and to support the greater communities it comes from. Taproom coming soon! Until then, follow us on twitter to get the latest on great beer coming out of taps around Denver. Denver, CO 80218 (Taproom Coming Soon!)

Colorado Keg House – Broomfield, CO: At the Colorado Keg House, our mission is to celebrate the wonder and variety of Colorado craft beer, and quality craft beer is all we do. We scour the state to bring you the best Ales, IPAs, Pilsners, Lagers, and Stouts available. With 75 beers on tap at a time, and constantly rotating our inventory to bring you new flavors each week, you can’t find a better place to sample your favorite Colorado beer anywhere.

Coors Field (Sandlot Brewery) – Denver, CO: The Blue Moon Brewing Co. at the SandLot is located at the corner of 22nd and Blake Street inside Coors Field. It all began in 1995, when head brewmaster and founder, Keith Villa, returned from Belgium with his Ph.D. in brewing and a belief that crafting beer is an art. Come see where Blue Moon is made and taste seasonal and limited-release brews, including a commemorative Rockies 20th Anniversary Ale available only at Coors Field!2161 Blake St Denver, CO 80205 | 303.298.1587

Falling Rock Tap House – Denver, CO: With a constantly changing selection of 75+ beers on tap and 130+ different bottled beers in the cooler, we challenge you to find a better place to drink a wide selection of the finest beers available. This list is designed to be a representation of the beers we carry and we keep it updated as much as we can! 1919 Blake St Denver, CO 80202 | 303.293.8338

Freshcraft – Denver, CO: We have 20 tap handles of great craft beers and around 100 plus different beers in the bottle for you to pair with the food. We’re happy to help you pick out the beer that will best complement your meal. Of course you can always just hang out and enjoy a beer (or four). 1530 Blake St Denver, CO 80202 | 303.758.9608

Harpos Sports Grill – Boulder, CO: A great neighborhood restaurant and bar serving the north eastern area of the city of Boulder. Harpo’s Sports Grill has over 27 tv’s, 2 pool tables, rooftop dining with one of the best views in Boulder, state of the art satellite system featuring all major sports packages, a sweet golden tee game and an awesome foosball table.2860 Arapahoe Ave Boulder, CO 80303 | 303-444-9464

Highland Tap & Burger – Denver, CO: It’s our hope that we are able to introduce you all too some cool and unique beers that these world class breweries make right here in Colorado. They are part of our family and we are excited for what the future of our relationships holds. 2219 W 32nd Ave Denver, CO 80211 | 720.287.4493

Historians Ale House – Denver, CO: We are a bar designed to showcase the food, beer and wonderful attributes that Colorado has to offer! Colorado is a majestic state with the magnificent Rocky Mountains. Our sports teams are heroic champions, the skiing is epic and the weather is amazing. HISTORIANS ALE HOUSE is here to showcase all of the incredible attributes of the square state! 24 Broadway Denver, CO 80203 | 720.479.8505

Hops & Pie – Denver, CO: While living in San Diego the idea of Hops & Pie was born. Partially inspired by living in close proximity to Stone, Lost Abbey, Port, Green Flash and Ballast Point Breweries, we began to develop a love for hand crafted beer. We soon learned that good IPA and pepperoni pizza were made for each other. That inspired us to start creating different pies to see how they paired with different beers and we soon learned that the sky was the limit. 3920 Tennyson St Denver, CO 80212 | 303.477.7000

Lucky Pie – Denver, CO: With 21 rotating taps of craft beer we have one of the best selections of beer in the area. The breweries love us because we love beer. We often get to feature rare and limited beer that you will find nowhere else. We have 20 wines by the glass, each specifically selected to pair with our delicious menu offerings. We also feature a full bar, with a list of original handcrafted cocktails. 1610 16th St Denver, CO 80202 | 303.825.1021

Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery – Boulder & Denver, CO: With a six-barrel brewery, the Mountain Sun opened its doors on Pearl Street in October of 1993. The pub’s mission was to create an environment that was as comfortable as your living room, where great food, craft beers, and conversation flowed freely. With a commitment to high-quality ingredients, community engagement, environmental stewardship, and employee equity, the uniquely eclectic atmosphere of Mountain Sun came to be. See all 4 locations here1535 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302 | 303.546.0886

Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom – Various Locations in Colorado:Back in 1976, a few buddies opened a pizza restaurant in Boulder, Colorado. From the start they agreed on a few basic principles: serve up delicious, handmade pizza, have the best lineup of cold beers in town and treat everyone who walks through the door like family.
More than three decades later, we sport a fresh new look, a new menu and lots of new faces, but Old Chicago is still committed to being the best place to share a world-class pie and great craft beer. Click here for locations.

Rackhouse Pub – Denver, CO: The Rackhouse Pub has a rotating tap list of 30 craft beers. Colorado has some of the best beer in the world, and we think it’s essential to promote Colorado-made products. That’s why we feature so many taps of Colorado-made craft beers. We also have a specialty out-of-state tap, often a hard-to-get keg of something special. 208 S Kalamath St. Denver, CO 80223 | 720.570.7824

Root25 Taphouse & Kitchen – Denver, CO: Located inside the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center. Root25 is a nod to the historic recipes that pubs, bistros and watering holes have offered for hundreds of years while demonstrating what it’s like to live and eat well in the Mile High City. Colorado is often referred to as the ‘Napa’ of craft beer and in our new venue, it is all about the beer! 7800 E. Tufts Ave. Denver, CO 80237 | 303.221.ROOT

Stapleton Taphouse – Denver, CO: The Stapleton Tap House is a Colorado craft beer tap room in Denver’s Stapleton neighborhood. We are focused on bringing our customers a variety of locally brewed beers, produced by some of Colorado’s smaller brewers. In fact, the easier it is for you to find a beer in your local restaurant, bar, or liquor store, the less likely it is that we will carry it.8286 E Northfield Blvd, Unit 1525, Denver, CO 80238 | 720.449.2337

Star Bar – Denver, CO: One of Denver’s oldest surviving watering holes, opened in 1959 and completely renovated in April 2010. Ready to service the ballpark neighborhood, conveniently located close to Coors Field, LoDo, the Highlands, Curtis Park, and central downtown. We feature BIG Handles – Some of the best and and hardest to find beers from Colorado and the rest of the U.S. 2137 Larimer St Denver, CO 80205 | 720.328.2420

Tap Fourteen – Denver, CO: Tap 14 is now open on the rooftop of Hayter’s & Co, 1/2 block from Coors Field in downtown Denver. At Tap 14 we celebrate the amazing beer scene here in Colorado. We have 70 beers on tap, all brewed right here in the great state of Colorado! We also have the largest selection of Colorado spirits anywhere in Denver. Made in Colorado, for Colorado!1920 Blake Street Denver, CO 80202 | 303.297.8279

Teller’s Tap Room – Lakewood, CO: Established in 2011, Teller’s was designed and built on the belief that every great neighborhood deserves a great neighborhood bar & grill – A place where friends, family and neighbors can gather together and enjoy each other’s company. We hope you enjoy your Neighborhood Place and look forward to seeing you often! Check out the Colorado beer list. 1990 Youngfield Street Lakewood, CO 80215 | 303.237.1002

Vine Steet Pub – Denver, CO: In April, 2008, the Mountain Sun restaurant group took its concept to the Uptown neighborhood of Denver, opening the Vine Street Pub. In April of 2012, the pub opened its flagship brewery with the capacity to produce 5,000 barrels annually, outnumbering the current brewing capacity of both Boulder locations combined, and reducing beer transportation miles between the pubs. 1700 Vine Street, Denver, CO 80206 | 303.388.2337

World Of Beer – Lakewood, CO: World of Beer is a truly uncommon establishment where the experience is as essential as the product. At World of Beer, having the most extensive beer selection is not enough. It is important that a broad spectrum of patrons, from the beer aficionado to the casual beer fan, can enjoy the best beers on the planet and increase their beer knowledge in a comfortable and upbeat setting. 7260 W. Alaska Drive, Unit A Lakewood, CO | 303.934.2304

Yard House – Denver, CO: Yard House is the creation of founder and entrepreneur Steele Platt, who came up with the concept shortly after relocating from Denver, Colorado to Southern California in the early 1990s. Platt, along with partners Harald Herrmann and Carlito Jocson, wanted to create a restaurant that would offer one of the largest selections of draft beers, a diverse menu of American fare, and play a heady selection of classic rock music on a state-of-the-art sound system. Additional locations in Lakewood&Lone Tree 1555 Court Pl. Denver, CO 80202 | 303.572.9273

River North Brewery & Taproom is located in Denver, CO. a few blocks north of Coors Field in the ballpark neighborhood. The area around River North is a fun, lively and popular area with many breweries, galleries and restaurants close by. This area, called RiNO (River North Art District) was once a rough, mostly abandoned part of Denver, but has been transformed with redevelopment. RiNO includes many 100+ year-old brick buildings that have been renovated, giving the area a historic look and feel.

River North was started by Matt Hess, a former Engineer for Lockheed Martin. Matt was tired of the “cyclical nature of the aerospace industry”, and wanted to do something different. He had experience in homebrewing, and decided that starting a brewery was his ticket to doing something different. Matt had been homebrewing in 5 gallon batches, then splitting up the 5 gallon batch into smaller 1 gallon batches to try new ideas. Each smaller 1 gallon batch gave Matt an opportunity to tweak his recipes, or to add something completely new. With 2-3 years of experimentation, Matt was able to create some great homebrew recipes that he would eventually use to brew beers at River North Brewery. Matt has not only been the driving force behind the beers at River North, he also designed the logo. He has done a great job in creating a clean, distinctive brand that is easily recognizable. When he’s not brewing, Matt also handles deliveries and sales, manages the taproom, and many other tasks that arise in the day-to-day process of running the business side of the brewery.

Patrick Annesty is the Director of Communications for River North, and was nice enough to give us a tour and share their excellent beers. Patrick joined the River North team just after they officially opened last year. He came to Denver from Ft. Laurderdale, FL., after graduating from the University of Florida. Patrick was looking to move to a fun place with a good beer culture, and Denver was a prime spot for that. After coming to Denver, Patrick visited local breweries hoping to use his journalism and homebrewing skills to help out a local brewer. A few weeks after Parick visited River North, Matt Hess called Patrick and asked for help — opening weekend was bigger and busier than Matt ever imagined! Since then, Patrick has taken on a jack of all trades role, and does a bit of everything. Patrick is Matt’s right hand man, and does everything from generating buzz on social media to brewing to making deliveries.

River North officially opened in February 2012. In their first year, River North produced 300 barrels, and made a big name in the Denver community. The business plan for River North was different than many breweries that simply start a taproom and hope to distribute someday. Matt Hess started the brewery with the plan to bottle and distribute immediately. The facility behind River North’s taproom is huge for a smaller brewery, and provides a great deal of room for expansion going forward. If you visit the taproom, you will see just how big River North plans to become. The plan for 2013 is to produce 900 barrels, or 3x the amount of beer River North produced in their first year!

Matt Hess enjoys brewing Belgian-style ales, and American style ales with a Belgian twist. River North brews exclusively in the Belgian style, and is dedicated to always brewing quality beers. Ingredients are brought in from the best sources around the country in order to consistently brew high quality, great tasting beers. River North has an eclectic beer list, and does not focus on having all the American style beers that are typical at most breweries. We really enjoyed all of the beers, but especially the BPR (Belgian-Style Pale Red), the Hello, Darkness (Black IPA) and the Unified Theory (Oaked Imperial Wit).

Beer List:

River North White White Ale / Belgian-Style Wit 5.0% ABV

Hello, Darkness Black IPA: 6.2% ABV

BPR Belgian-Style Pale Red Ale 6.4% ABV

J. Marie Saison / Farmhouse Ale 7.5% ABV

Hoppenberg Uncertainty Principle Belgian-Style Double IPA 9.0% ABV

Quandary Quadrupel 9.6% ABV

Unified Theory Oaked Imperial Wit: 8.5% ABV

Avarice Belgian-Style Imperial Stout 9.3% ABV

Barrel Series (Limited Availability):

Barrel Series No. 1 – J. Marie Aged in Whiskey Barrels

Barrel Series No. 2 – J. Marie Aged in White Wine Barrels

Barrel Series No. 3 – Quandary Aged in Whiskey Barrels

Barrel Series No. 4 – BPR Aged in Whiskey Barrels

Barrel Series No. 5 – River North White aged in white wine

Barrel Series No. 6 – River North White aged in whiskey

Barrel Series No. 7 – Avarice Imperial Stout aged in whiskey

Barrel Series No. 8 – Barrel Reserve 2013 (currently available).

In Bottles (22 oz. bombers)Click here to see the River North beer locator

J. Marie

Hoppenberg Uncertainty Principle

Quandary

Unified Theory

Avarice

River North has a membership program for anyone that would like to become part of their local club. The program will be announced in July, and the details for this year are not available yet. Last year, members paid $50 and received a member’s only glass, $4 beers all day/everyday and had access to a special member’s only barrel aged IPA. The program for members will be different this year, but there will be great opportunities to get exlusive access to some cool offerings from River North.

Festivals: This only includes a couple that are already booked. To find out about all of the festivals and activities River North will be part of, check out their Facebook, and Twitter pages.

We had a great visit to River North, and look forward to seeing bigger and better things from them. They provide great beers, and a fun, laid-back atmosphere at their taproom. They recently opened up a patio which provides a nice place to enjoy fresh air and a little scenery. A great time to head to River North would be before a Rockies game. With the close proximity to Coors Field, it’s only a few minutes walk to enjoy a fresh beer. Thanks to Matt Hess and Patrick Annesty for their hospitality, and for sharing their story with us!

Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew is a brewery and taproom located in the Five Points neighborhood of Denver. The area around Our Mutual Friend includes a mix of older industrial buildings and newly renovated businesses and residential buildings. The Five Points area has seen a rejuvination over the last few years, and companies like Our Mutual Friend have helped create a neighborhood feel. Our Mutual Friend is a popular gathering place for residents of the 5 points neighborhood, and is also within walking distance from Coors Field and LoDo. We had the opportunity to sit down with Brandon Proff and Bryan Leavelle of Our Mutual Friend. They shared some excellent beers, as well as the story behind the brewery and taproom.

Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew was started by a group of friends that were connected by two things; mutual friends, and a love of beer. To make a long story short, some of the founders of Our Mutual Friend had mutual friends with other founders. In a roundabout way the group got to know each other, and their love of beer turned into a brewery and taproom. The founders of Our Mutual Friend had experience in homebrewing. However, it was not always a goal to start a brewing business. In February 2012, the group of founders wanted to start a business together, but were not quite sure what that business would be. In May 2012, when the building Our Mutual Friend is located in became available for rent, the group decided they would get into the brewery business, and began making plans for the brewery and taproom.

There is some disagreement as to when Our Mutual Friend officially opened, but it was agreed that in December 2012, the brewery was open, and the taproom was selling beer from the tap. Our Mutual Friend started with a small budget. Some of the funds needed to officially open the tap room were generated from first brewing and selling beer -hence the disagreement as to when exactly the company began. The owners of Our Mutual Friend started out with the idea that they simply wanted to provide a great place to get a fresh beer. The taproom does not provide a ton of frills, but it is a great place to have a fresh beer, engage in conversation, or simply listen to good music.

A really cool aspect to the brewery at Our Mutual Friend, is that nearly all grains and malts come from within Colorado. Only one malt is not from Colorado – the Munich Malt – and it is only used in about 5% of the beer that is brewed. The goal of Our Mutual Friend is to eventually source all ingredients from Colorado. Bryan Leavelle was proud to mention that he uses Colorado Malting Company as the provider of Our Mutual Friend’s malts and grains. By using Colorado sourced malts and grains, Our Mutual Friend believes they have better flavor in their beers than breweries that use malts and grains that are shipped over long distances, and sit in storage for long periods of time.

Another unique part of the brewing process at Our Mutual Friend is the fact that they prefer to roast their own grain. Many brewers view roasting in-house as an unnecessary step in their brewing process. Bryan Leavelle and Brandon Proff both feel that by roasting in-house they are creating beers with the freshest flavors possible. It was noted how smooth each and every beer we tried was. From the Proletariat to the IPA, all of the beers at Our Mutual Friend had a great finish and without a great deal of bitterness.

Beer List: Our Mutual Friend provides a great lineup of beers, with styles to fit beer drinkers of all kinds. The Brown Ale was our favorite, and has an outstanding flavor with subtle hints of chocolate. The Winter Seasonal ‘Winter Warmer’ (not listed below) was our second favorite. The Winter Warmer has a rich flavor, but is not overly bitter, and has a nice finish.

Proletariat Session Ale: The lightest beer at Our Mutual Friend. The Proletariat is for the no frills beer drinker who wants a crisp, clean refreshing ale. It’s the only beer named, dubbed in reference to the working class of our capitalist society, the common men and women who are always welcome at OMF. Proletariat highlights the subtle, sophisticated flavors and aromas of the Colorado grown two-row malt and aromatic Gold malt. Pacific Northwest hops create an extremely balanced beer with a beautiful straw color. 4.5% ABV

Saison: The Saison is crafted in the style that originated from beers brewed during the cooler and less active months in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, and then stored for drinking by the farm workers during the summer months. Beginning with a surge of fruity aromatics and grapefruit hoppy notes, the flavor of this complex ale tapers off to a peppery, dry finish. 5.6% ABV

Pale Ale: The Pale is the Queen Ale and what started it all for Our Mutual Friend, back in the days of brewing in Bryan’s kitchen. It is English style leaning in color and mouthfeel, with medium body and a sweet finish accented by American hops. It’s the beer we’d sip on all day if we could. 5.6% ABV

IPA: Dedicated to the Cottonwood, Juniper, and Ponderosa pines of Colorado, the India Pale Ale is a step up from the Pale Ale bitter and more bold. OMF uses all Columbus hops in a nod to their love of pine trees, giving the IPA a fundamental piney-floral kick, with hints of caramel and other earthy toastiness. There’s enough bitter for the hophead, but good malt balance for the novice IPA drinker. 7.1% ABV

Brown Ale: OMF’s Brown Ale is crafted with patience and chance in honor of the game played on sand diamonds every summer. OMF roasts their brown malt to the same standards found in mid-1800s England, with a rich base that gives hints of chocolate. The beer is then finished with dry hopping to give it a nose as crisp as the pop of a called third strike in the catcher’s mitt. 6.3% ABV

Huckleberry Roasters Coffee Stout: OMF collaborated with their neighbors Huckleberry Roasters to craft their stout. OMF starts with a humble American stout and adds Huckleberry’s small batch Mexican roast during secondary fermentation for an earthy, light roasted kick. It’s a stout as quiet and comforting as a starless night in the country with enough mystery to keep you company for a while. 5% ABV

OMF is planning to hold the Winter Warmer Bomber Party on March 22nd. The Winter Warmer seasonal is being bottled now, and will be available to buy in bombers (22 oz bottles), or growlers. This is a great tasting beer, and the limited quantities of it will sell out quickly. Colorado Craft Brews thoroughly enjoyed this beer, and will undoubtedly head down to OMF for the Winter Warmer Bomber Party. We hope to see you there!

We had a great visit with Bryan and Brandon at OMF. We appreciate them sitting down to tell us more about them, and of course, for sharing their beers. OMF is a great place to hang out and enjoy a good beer made with fresh ingredients, and brewed by guys with a passion for what they do. The atmosphere at OMF is fun and laid-back. With a relatively close proximity to Coors Field there will soon be the buzz of baseball season starting at Our Mutual Friend. On April 5th (Opening Day) OMF will be making available their Spring Seasonal the IPA 2. We recommend heading down to take in the great atmosphere, and of course, a great beer!